Cheese-ctjed mill



C. JUNKER.

CHEESE CURD MILL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5. 1919.

1,309,525. Patented July 8, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

i I 1 o v I Imverribnz 135 fl m wm 3% {6 60]7666 {153 Tm: COLUMBIAPLANOAIRMH 0.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITE CHARLES JUNKER, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

CHEESE-CURB MILL.

Application filed April 5, 1919.

T 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES JUNKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mil waukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cheese-Curd Mills, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing, formmg a part thereof.

This invention relates to machines of the class shown and described inUnited States Letters Patent No. 971,506 issued to me September 27,1910, for cutting cheese curd into small cubes or pieces, preparatory topressing in hoops.

The main objects of the invention are to reduce the weight of suchmachines and make them less cumbersome, so that they can be more easilytransferred from one cheese vat to another; to more evenly distributethe load and make them lighter running and easier to operate; to providefor feeding the machine from either end; and generally to improve theconstruction and operation of machines of this class.

It consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts ashereinafter particularly described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing like characters designate the same parts inthe several figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cheesecurd mill embodying theinvention; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the same on the line2-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mill; and Fig. 4 is a verticallongitudinal section of the mill on the line M, Fig. 3.

The mill comprises a portable frame consisting of two metal side members1, which are provided with bearings for the mechanism of the mill, andcross-sills 2, which may be made of wood, connecting the side members 1at the ends, and adapted to support the mill on cheese vats inconnection with which it is used.

A main drive shaft 4, mounted in bearings on the frame members 1, isprovided adjacent to the outer sides of said members, with fixed gears 5and 6. This shaft is provided at one end with a crank, pulley or gear(not shown) for operating the mill by hand or power. A cylindricalroller 7 which may be made of wood or other suitable material, isloosely mounted on the shaft 4, between the frame members 1v At one endthe roller 7 1s Specification of Letters latent.

Patented July 8, 1919.

Serial No 287,714.

provided with a gear 8, meshing with a similar gear 9, fixed on a shaft10, mounted in bearings 11, on the frame members 1, horizontallyopposite and parallel with the shaft 1. The gear 6 meshes with a largergear 13, fixed on the shaft 10, driving said shaft at a slower rate ofspeed than the main shaft 4, as for example, one revolution of the shaft10 to two revolutions of the shaft 4.

Circular slitting knives 15 are removably and adj ustably mounted on theshaft 10 with spacing collars 16 between them. The bear ings 11 areadjusted by screws 18 threaded in lugs on the frame members 1, and aresocured in adjusted position by bolts 19, so that the cutting edges ofthe knives 15 will properly cotiperate with the roller 7, the knives androller being rotated at the same peripheral speed by the gears 8 and 9.

A stationary doctor blade 21, is adjustably fastened at its ends to theframe members 1 by bolts 22, and is set with its upper edge close to theperiphery of the roller 7 on its descending side below and parallel withthe shafts 1 and 10.

A rotary cutter mounted on a shaft 25, below and parallel with theshafts 1 and 10, is driven by a gear 26 fixed on one end of the shaft25, and meshing with the gear 5 on the drive shaft 1. This cuttercomprises one or more in the present case two, spiral blades 2detachably fastened by countersunk screws as shown, or by other suitablemeans, to a spiral spider or body 28, fixed on the shaft 25, coaxiallytherewith. Each blade 27 makes one or more complete turns around itsaxis, and its lateral cutting edge crosses the lower edge of thestationary blade 21, and is adapted to cooperate therewith, as shown inFig. 2, at a number of points, in the present case two points,simultaneously, the blade 21 being adjusted so that the cutting edges ofthe blades 27 will run in contact with or close to its lower edge andcoiiperate thereith to make progressive shearing cuts.

A hopper 30, mounted on the frame, has two oppositely and downwardlyinclined bottom plates or walls 31, terminating at their inner loweredgcs at a distance from each other above the roller 7 and the knives 15respectively, so as to support and guide the sheets in which the curd isformed, to and between said roller and knives, and provide for feedingthe curd to the mill from either end, whichever may be most conven;

iently located therefor with relation to the vat on which the mill isplaced.

The gear 26 as shown, is smaller than the gear 5, and the rotary spiralcutter blades 27 are driven at a. more rapid rate than the slittingknives l5. Their rate of speed may be varied by substituting for thegears 5 and 26, gears of difi'erent sizes, and the rate of speed of theslitting knives 15 may be varied if desired, by substituting for thegears 6 and 1?), gears of different sizes.

To prevent the strips into which the sheets of curd are cut by theknives 15 from following the knives and winding around the collars l6,yielding spring stripper arms attached at their upper ends to the bottomwall 31 of the hopper above the shaft 10, extend downwardly therefrombetween the knives and terminate at their lower ends adjacent to theblade 21, which serves to separate the curd from the roller 7, and withthe stripper arms 33, to guide and hold the strips in position to besevered by the blades 2-7.

In the operation of the mill, the sheets of curd are fed on one or theother of the inclined bottom walls 31 of the hopper between the roller 7and knives 15, by which they are cut into narrow strips. As these stripspass downward between the roller 7 and knives 15, they are cut intocubes or small pieces, say from one-half to threefourths of an inch insize, by the spiral blades 27 and the stationary blade 21, severalstrips being simultaneously severed by the blades 27, therebydistributing the work or load, and facilitating the operation of thespiral blades. The heavy flywheel with which these machines asheretofore constructed, have necessarily been provided on account of themore or less intermittent-ac- 'tion of the cross cutting blades, is thusdispensed with, makingthe mill less cumbersome, much lighter, and easierto transfer from one vat to another.

The two-way hopper, enablingthe' mill to be fed from either end,increases its adapta- 7 its cutting edge crossing and adapted tocooperate with the stationary blade at a number of pointssimultaneously.

2. In a cheese-curd mill the combination with a series of coaxialcircular slit-ting knives, an opposing roller having its axis parallelwith that of said knives, and a sta tionary blade below and parallelwith the axes of said knives and roller, of 'a rotary cutter comprisingspiral blades having a common axis parallel with vthestationary bladeand each making a number of complete turns crossing and adapted tocooperate with the stationary blade at a number of pointssimultaneously.

3. In a curd mill the combination with a portable frame, a series ofcoaxial circular slitting knives, an opposing roller having its 1 axisparallel with that of said knives, a sta tionary doctor blade locatedclose to the periphery of said roller below and parallel with itsaxis, arotary cutter comprising a spiral blade having a lateral cutting edgecrossing and adapted to cooperate with the lower edge of the doctorblade, and a two way hopper having oppositely and downwardly inclinedbottom walls terminating at the lower edges at a distance from eachother above and parallel'with the axes of the slitting knives and rollerrespectively and adapted to support and guide sheets of curd fed fromeither end of the machine to and between said slitting knives androller.

In witness whereof I hereto affix'my signature.

CI-IARL ES JUN Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by. addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. ,6."

